they were honored at fenway park and mentioned by president obama earlier this week. >> to watch it and to feel it and people finding their legs. we want to begin with the investigation into the boston marathon bombings. we're getting a new look at the final moments before the suspected bomber was captured. infrared video shows them moving inside the boat. a little later an explosion of a flash grenade is seen going off before agents took him into custody. federal charges could be filed against him as soon as today. now our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff continues to cover the story from boston. he is standing by now with the very latest. michael, good morning. good to see you. >> we could be learning a lot more about the boston marathon bombing when federal prosecutors file those criminal charges possibly as early as this morning, laying out some of the government's evidence against the surviving 19-year-old suspe. but, meanwhile, questions are mounting about how much the fbi knew before the bombing about his older brother, and alleged

accomplice and whether bureau officials failed to connect the dots. 19-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev is being treated at a boston hospital today still not well enough to be grilled by federal agents about the bombings and shootings that terrorized the city. >> serious but stable. >> reporter: authorities believe that his older brother tamerlan killed in a gun battle early friday morning while wearing explosives strapped to his chest may have instigated the plot and persuaded dzhokhar to join him in the bloody attacks. >> i am extremely lucky that i'm not at a funeral this morning for one of my officers. >> reporter: but agents are puzzled by what motivated the tsarnaevs. they were raised in the u.s., lived in the same house and seemed to fit in. they attended this cambridge mosque, but a spokeswoman says they raised no red flags. >> in their visits, they never exhibited any violent behavior,

sentiments. otherwise, they would have been immediately reported to the fbi. >> reporter: but should the fbi have been watching more closely? in 2011, russian intelligence concerned about the threat of chechnyan terrorism asked the fbi to investigate tamerlan based on information he was a follower of radical islam according to an fbi statement. the fbi said it checked databases, interviewed tamerlan and family members but, quote, did not find any terrorism activity, domestic or foreign. in january 2012, tamerlan flew to russia for six months and visited chechnya. within a month of his return in august 2012, tamerlan set up this youtube account full of islamic postings. in this video, a radical prophecy. >> no one could stop that jihad. no one can stop it. >> reporter: in a letter to obama administration officials, two top republican members of congress questioned why tamerlan remained at liberty in this country to commit the boston

attack. and whether the bureau could have done more to watch them. >> we can't be politically correct. we have to say, has radicalization extended into the chechen community? >> reporter: the fbi says there was little they could do to legally monitor tamerlan tsarnaev once they -- initially determined he was not a threat. but one question congressional investigators have is, having gotten that initial tip from russian intelligence, why didn't anybody at the bureau notice those radical youtube postings on the internet? lester? >> we're going to get into that right now, michael isikoff. don barrelli is a former senior fbi official, now the chief operating officer of a security consulting firm. don, good morning. great to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> should have, could have. those questions always asked following an attack like this. >> yep. >> this older brother was on the fbi's radar. should he have stayed there? >> let me explain the process. he was opened up -- there's three levels of investigation that the fbi has.

an assessment, a preliminary and a full investigation. and the more information that the fbi has at hand, the deeper it can dig, the more invasive techniques they can use. this investigation was opened up at the lowest level, an assessment. the reason, from what i read, there was not a lot of information that was given from the fsb to the fbi. they said he was being a radical follower of islam. that's first amendment protected activity. you cannot open an investigation just because somebody is become -- >> so they did what they could under the circumstances? >> exactly. there's a limited number of techniques they can do for a limited number of time. they can check public records. they can check with informants, they can get cell phone subscriber records, not details, subscriber records only. the fbi, as i understand it, did everything legally that they were allowed to do, including interview them, and then after that, all those techniques were done, they had no basis of, you know, to continue the investigation. it was closed.

>> let me now ask you about the surviving brother. they are using the public safety exception. he's not getting the "you have the right to remain silent," et cetera. >> initially, no. >> what is the danger? is there a clear and present danger that there are other explosive devices out there? >> that's what they are going to look at first. the public safety exception is, by its nature, used to try to figure out, is there anybody else out there that may have been part of this plot? is there any other explosives? are there any other locations where, you know, there might be a bomb factory? they need to know and they're going to ask him. >> they need to know, and they're going to ask him. >> don barrelli, thanks very much. want to turn to washington and what's been a challenging week for president obama. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning. >> overall the president receiving good marks for the way he's handled all of this. as lester and don were just talking about, there are these questions about the fbi opening this investigation and, as we just heard, everything that was done legally was done at that

time. nothing was found to keep it open in 2011. could that, though, come back to hurt the white house? >> well, it's certainly going to be questions about it. i think it gets even larger and the president plays a key role in this. the country will have to have a debate and dialogue about the nature of terrorism, particularly a plot like this when you are dealing with american citizens or what they call american persons. so the older brother tamerlan was an american person in 2011. there are limits to what we do to american citizens in terms of tracking them, surveilling them, monitoring their thoughts and their expressions. that's a fact. that's a reality of being a united states person or citizen. so there is this aspect of home-grown terrorism that has to be confronted. how you try to protect the country against it. as well as the nature of this kind of attack. a small bore, a terror attack with far fewer victims than some of the other attacks we've seen. how as a country do we secure the homeland as a result of that?

i think that's part of where the debate will go. >> the other part of the debate is immigration and that's come back up, in washington because of an immigration deal and also because of what happened this week in boston. >> no question. and let's remember our recent history. 9/11 occurs at a time when the bush administration was pursuing comprehensive immigration reform. that was completely displaced by the 9/11 attacks and all the fear about people coming into the country who could do us harm. again, this is, you know, a typical immigration story of a family that comes here when these suspects are kids. they grow up, presumably assimilating into the culture, as we encourage in this country, and then something happens. so what do you do? there have already been questions raised in this immigration debate about whether student visas or loopholes in the immigration system that want to allow people who want to commit violence into the country. it certainly has to be confronted at a time, you know,

when we're talking about creating a pathway to citizenship. so, separating legitimate concern from illegitimate concern will be something that will be very difficult in the course of this debate. there were already senators raising questions about this before we had any idea what the legal status of these two young men were. we know now one was a citizen. the surviving one is a citizen, dzhokhar. and his older brother who is now dead was a legal permanent resident. so that means something. >> david gregory, thank you. turn now to a developing story this morning. five snowboarders are dead in colorado after they were caught in an avalanche in the back country. leanne gregg is on the scene. she has more for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. the snowboarders used a trail not far from here to get to the mountain. then while hiking up the mountain, not while snowboarding, officials say they triggered the deadly slide. heavy spring snow nearly two feet in the last ten days creating conditions so bad, forecasters call it the worst

avalanche danger in decades. >> it's nasty back there. >> reporter: this is the path of an avalanche on loveland pass that on saturday swept up six snowboarders. one survived uninjured but partially buried who freed himself and called for help. rescuers, too late for the other five, even though they'd been well prepared for back country conditions. >> just because you have all the rescue equipment, it doesn't prevent the avalanches. >> reporter: on thursday, not far from loveland pass, another snowboarder died in an avalanche. experts say nationwide, 24 people have been killed in avalanches this season. 11 in colorado. and the threat is not over. >> the newer snow that's on top is very unstable. so once it starts to go, it's going to go. >> reporter: a call for caution during these extreme times in the high country. names and ages of saturday's victims have not been released. they were snowboarding outside ski resort boundaries on u.s. forest service land, open to skiers, snowboarders and hikers

at their own risk. lester? >> leanne gregg this morning, thanks. meantime, severe flooding in the midwest has turned fatal. >> jenna wolf is here with more on that and the day's other headlines. >> good morning, everyone. at least two people are dead this morning after flash floods from the heavy rain that fell over the midwest. hundreds had to be evacuated. two people were killed and a third is missing after their car was swept up in the waters in indiana. the death toll from a devastating earthquake in china continues to rise this morning. at least 200 people were killed. more than 10,000 injured. rescuers are working around the clock to try to reach anyone who may still be trapped there. residents in west, texas, the town devastated after that plant explosion, are starting to return to their homes. gabe gutierrez is live there this morning with the latest. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: jenna, good morning. local authorities say right now, everyone is accounted for and they don't expect to find any more bodies. >> don't know what to think. it was just unbelievable.

>> reporter: this weekend, authorities are allowing some west, texas, residents to return home for the first time. since the explosion that flattened part of the town on wednesday. >> i'm like, whoo-hoo, i get to go home. yea. and then it's like, what am i going to go home to? >> reporter: a filing with the state health department showed the fertilizer facility that blew up had 270 tons of ammonium nitrate. no additional chemical information is required by texas. but federal officials are looking into whether that amount should have raised red flags, and already some lawmakers are asking whether chemical storage regulations should be strengthened. the death toll stands at 14, including five firefighters and four medics. off-duty dallas fire captain kenny harris saw the initial flames and rushed to help the local volunteer department. >> it just don't seem real at all. >> reporter: he leaves behind a wife and three adult children. >> he never once thought of himself or of his safety.

>> reporter: his oldest son judd also a dallas firefighter. >> i'm still going to keep doing it, you know. try to live up to my dad's legacy. >> he was my best friend. we -- we did everything together. >> reporter: it is amazing the show of support that family is getting. captain harris had been a firefighter for 31 years, jenna. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. security is extremely tight in london this morning as tens of thousands run the london marathon. the city added a number of additional officers along the race route after the boston marathon bombings. many runners were wearing black ribbons to honor the victims and there was 30 seconds of silence held before the race began. finally, a very, very close call at a car show in north carolina. a drag racing competition with a full house on hand resulted in this. an engine explosion causing the body of what's known as a funny car to blow off, literally coming off the car. flew right into the stands.

amazingly, only minor injuries to two onlookers. but they are so close, it's actually quite amazing there were no more injuries there. that is the news. now back to lester, erica and dylan. >> jenna, thanks. dylan dreyer is here with a check of the weather. we've already seen what it's doing around the country. some rivers in missouri not cresting until tuesday but no more heavy rain is expected until tuesday. that's something we'll have to keep an eye on as we head into the week. for now those showers are pretty light. that's a look at the weather across the country. good morning. at 6:16 waking up here in san francisco to clear skies. you will notice behind me a little haze in the distance, but we are expecting a bright day and not any cloud cover. we will show you the temperatures. 45 in santa rosa and later today, scorcher. mid- to upper 80s in the valley,

and near livermore, you will be near 90 and santa cruz, 84. tomorrow, a few records possible with hot conditions through tuesday. ance? we'll talk about that after this. nespresso. where there is an espresso to match my every mood. ♪ where just one touch creates the perfect coffee. where every cappuccino and latte is made at home. and where i can have exactly what i desire. ♪ nespresso. what else?

♪ new honey bunches of oats greek yohere we go.ole grain. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt. i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time. i'm like digging this yogurt thing. i feel healthy. new honey bunches of oats greek. tand delicious, soft caramel. to fill you up and keep you moving, whatever your moves. payday. fill up and go! the events of the past week in boston played out worldwide online. in most cases, a good thing.

though as michelle franzen reports for some it came at a price. territory was a week like no other, starting with the bombing attack at the boston marathon. >> something just blew up. >> reporter: and followed by a massive manhunt for the suspects. one in which social media played a significant role, giving police solid leads. >> it was a ride-along like we've never seen in any kind of american news story. >> reporter: but also, experts say, fuelling a wildfire of misinformation and speculation. >> the problem is, gossip is now like a computer virus. and in seconds it can spread around the planet. >> reporter: in the days after the attack, police reached out to the public asking for cell phone photos and tips. >> there has to be hundreds if not thousands of photographs or videos. >> reporter: after reviewing surveillance cameras, authorities released video of two men with backpacks, soon photos began circulating on the internet leading to some mistakes. >> bag men.

feds seek these two pictured at boston marathon. >> reporter: "the new york post" published a photo of two men who were not the suspects. one of the falsely accused spoke out. >> i said i see my picture. i was like, what's the consequences? what are people going to say? >> reporter: in the wild world of twitter, there was a trove of the good with collective cheers when boston police posted they had captured 19-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev. the bad, fake websites and twitter accounts along with glimpses of real social media and internet activity by both suspects. and the ugly. images posted of tamerlan tsarnaev after he died, too graphic to show here, circulated across the internet. reminders, experts say, of the power social media can have in the moment and lessons we can use in the future. >> i hope that as we move forward into the next crisis like this, people are going to learn the importance of waiting

until you know what you are passing along has at least some part of the truth in it. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. still ahead this morning -- boston strong. how athletes and sports fans around the country are showing their support in the wake of the boston marathon bombing. but first, these messages. d to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? ♪ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the whole grains in quaker chewy bars. today is going to be epic.

quaker up. orange juice...tomato sauce... can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel that you have. and i believe it's doing a good job.

still ahead, we'll meet a man who finished the boston marathon minutes before the explosion. then days later witnessed the massive fertilizer blast in texas. is he charmed or cursed? >> i'm going to go with charmed. we'll think positive here. plus, the incredible father/son duo who had their boston marathon cut short like so many but they are determined

to keep on going. we'll hear more from them. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook. [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth rich, chewy caramel rolled up this one's going into overtime. rolo. get your smooth on. of course everybody has secrets. in fact ... you are looking at one of my secrets right now. new revlon nearly naked™ makeup covers flaws melting into skin to even out your complexion. so the only one who knows you have makeup on ... is you.

dare to be revlon.

a good sunday morning to you and a peek at the city of san francisco in the transamerica building on this sunday morning. i'm sam brock alongside anthony slaughter. we have heard about the impending heat of this week and now, anthony, what is it looking like? >> well, it looks like all systems are go. right now the temperatures are cool in the 50s and napa is low

in santa cruz. it is going to be warmette locations in the livermore and gilroy, 88 as well. city by the bay, san francisco, 78 degrees. it is going to be hard to escape the heat today. warmer tomorrow, and we are expecting record-breaking heat tomorrow. and good news, sam, since we live by the ocean, we will have natural ac kicking in toward the center of the week, and in the meantime keep the spf handy and drink plenty of water. >> and excellent, i appreciate your keeping me on my toes, antho anthony. continuing coverage of the boston bombings. this morning doe har tsarnaev i

intense, and we are looking at how his location came to an end. this is infrared showing the body heat inside of the boat. you can see the movement of the body, and authorities used the robotic device to find him and soon after, he is captured. several groups are e reacting to the obama administration's decision not to read the 19-year-old his miranda rules. there is a right for his to remain silent and right to attorney if there is a continued threat to public safety. the aclu says that the public safety exception should be read narrowly and denying the rights is un-american. professor from uc berkeley says that the first questions that are posed will have to do with with the motive.

>> first psychologically, and some wayward nut like columbine or some of the school shooters have been or what are the linkages, and what is this guy -- who has he been linked up to? >> most experts think that the case will be tried in federal court, and pros ecutors will mot likely charge him with use of weapons of mass destruction which could make the case eligible for capital punishment. coming up at 6:00 on the bay, thousands of runners are taking to the streets in london for a marathon and the first since monday's attacks. we will look at the security measures and how the runners are honoring the boston victims. and scary moment as the body of a racecar goes flying into the stands. what officials say caused the chaos. we will e see you then. high speed internet. yeah, you couldn't just stream movies to a device like that. see you then. see you then.

you watched movies?! i was lucky if i could watch a show. show?! man, i was happy to see a sneezing panda clip! trevor, have you eaten today? you sound a little grumpy. [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] connect all your wi-fi-enabled devices with u-verse high speed internet. rethink possible. ♪ >> we're back on a sunday morning, april 21st, 2013. it's going to feel like spring in new york today. it's now feeling a lot like winter. >> if t feels a little -- >> i'll come over here with you. >> yes. >> step into the light, carolyn. >> thank you. >> i know the video operator

right now is going crazy. we're all blossoming across the screen. we have a great crowd here. we want to thank them for spending part of their weekend with them. erica hill and jenna wolf. still to come, we're going to talk more about boston strong, and we certainly saw it out there this week. that's the new unofficial slogan for a city recovering after a week of tragedy and terror. we're also heard neil diamond's "sweet caroline." that's a staple at boston red sox games. this week the toronto raptors are among the teams that played it to show support for boston. we'll show more on how the city is dealing through sports. >> dick and rick hoyt. they're staples of the boston marathon. they've run 31 of them, inspiring so many other runners. they had a team of several who on monday, like so many, as they were nearing the finish line, that race was cut short for them as the bombs exploded. that did not stop them. it will not stop them going forward. they're about to talk to us

about that going forward this morning. also, the man who not only missed the explosion by mere seconds in boston, but then was driving by that horrific blast many texas later in the week, so we'll speak with him about his week. maybe one he would rather forget. >> then we have another inspirational story that took place outside of boston this week. children facing hardships from illness, to family tragedies. they get a chance to spend the night in the spotlight on an iconic stage. it's really an experience that they, their parents and family, will never forget. we will share in that with them. >> and there's a chance we might just have the world's cutest cat here today. this is li li bug, she is already an internet sensation, and she's actually the star of her own documentary. we'll talk to the filmmakers about the movie. >> all right. they've been trying to get me to get out of the sun. >> i'll go in the shade. let's get a check of the weather. >> we are going to see, you know, a little bit below average

temperatures today. we're looking at highs to only be in the 50s. the sun is shining. it is cool across most of the country, though. actually temperatures running about five to ten degrees below normal. the only above average spot across the entire country is out in california. even down into texas temperatures will be only m mid 70s. that area kind of enjoys that. we are looking for highs today in the 50s. even 40s across central and northern new england. and up through the dakotas, temperatures will be 20 degrees below normal. we are going to see more showers, lighter showers today, work into minnesota, but they will start to spread east as we go into tomorrow. we'll keep an eye out for stronger storms today. especially central and southern florida, and then tomorrow in oklahoma we could see some isolated, very strong storms and more snow working back into western nebraska and steadier rain that does start to work in in the midwest, an area that is very focused on the flooding of the rivers out that

bay earea weather center. i'm anthony slaughter. temperatures will warm quickly today and starting out with clear skies in san francisco and everywhere else. comfortable right now. 49 in concord and san mateo, and later today, talking about warmer conditions and temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above average. 78 in san francisco, and 85 as well in san jose. the temperatures are hotter tomorrow, and keep the water handy and remember the spf. have a great weekend. ears in his eyes. it's his beth day. happy birthday, brodie. that's your latest forecast. erica. >> thanks. m week since the marathon bombing a new phrase has sprung up across the country. boston strong. that sentiment certainly filling fenway park on saturday when dick and rick hoyt who competed in the boston marathon for 31 years threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and they will join us live in just a moment. first, though, we wanted to take a closer look at how sports fans across the country are putting aside their rivalries in support

of boston. luke russert is there this morning. luke, good morning. >> hey, good morning, erica. you know, boston is often called america's best sports town, and on this most harrowing of weeks, the entire nation rallied around this city helping residents here regain that inherent sense of strength. >> thanks for coming to the ballgame, folks. >> reporter: on stickers, on highways, on signs, and for the world to see. >> this is what america is all about. we believe in each other and care for each other, and boston strong is just symbolic of that, whether we're from south carolina or massachusetts. >> reporter: or chicago, or arizona, or, yes, even new york where yankee fans did the unthinkable. singing a fenway favorite in support of boston. ♪ sweet caroline >> i think it's been viewed as an extraordinarily generous gesture. i think it's put a whole new

light on the relationship between cities. >> after a week of national support saturday at fenway park it was time for boston to come together and begin the healing process. honoring the fallen. celebrating the heroics. and speaking they are mind. >> thank you. >> you're angry, but you get up, and you continue because that's what you have to do. >> sports fans across the country say being boston strong feels so good. ♪ sweet caroline ♪ you can never be so good ♪ so good, so good, so good >> now, erica, you heard a

little bit of colorful language there from red sox slugger david ortiz. well, the fcc lit up with this tweet saying "david ortiz spoke from the heart at today's red sox game. i stand with big papi and the people of boston." that's from the chairman of the fcc. no fine coming to david ortiz or the knelt works that broadcast that game. you don't get any ideas. i think it's a special exception for david ortiz. >> yes. i think you're right. that was an exception, but i think the love for boston definitely was not. luke, thanks. as we mentioned earlier, dick and rick hoyt are a boston marathon staple. the sponsored pair p participated in 36 marathons. they were recognized by president obama in thursday's memorial service. >> the words of dick hoyt who has pushed his disabled son, rick, in 31 boston marathons, we can't let something like this stop us. >> and the hoyts will not. dick and rick join us this morning. nice to have both of you with

us. >> good morning. we're happy to be here. >> dick, between being mentioned on thursday by the president, of course, being at fenway as well for a very emotional red sox game, this has been quite a week for you. tell us a little bit about what that's been like. >> well, it's been very hectic really. it started off kind of -- it started off really well. you know, we had our 32 runners running for our foundation, for the boston marathon. we had our own -- we drove out to hartington to start up a marathon, and we have the life size statue that's there, and we were able to get the team off to get shots of all that, and it was a beautiful day. then the marathon started off great, and we were starting to have a great run. matter of fact, we were ahead of last year's team, and then i saw police activity. i asked a police officer what was going on, and told me that two bombs had detonated at the finish line, and i got very concerned about that because my youngest son was there and his wife and the two boys and cathy, my girlfriend, and her family

were there. all the families of our 32 mothers were also there. i was very concerned what was going on down there, but unfortunate enough, it didn't happen right in front of them, but they were far enough away, so nobody got injured. loo they were thankfully all safe. >> that was -- yes. to us that was in the end of the marathon, and we just wanted to get to the finish line so we can be with them all. >> understandably. like so many people on monday. this you were thinking about may have been your last boston marathon, but based on everything that's happened, i know those thoughts have changed a little bit. why are you thinking that, many of the, you do have one more boston marathon left in you? >> well, you know, rick and i were going to wait a couple of weeks after this year's boston marathon to decide if we're going to run another one or not, and we definitely are going to run next year, and we're going to be stronger next year, and i know the marathon is going to be stronger next year, so we're all going to be that much stronger, and i think there's going to be

so many people that are going to want to run the boston marathon, i don't know how they're going to be able to handle that. it's just unbelievable all these people are so strong and we're going to be strong, and we're going to stay strong. >> well, you continue to inspire so many over the years, and you'll certainly be doing that as you push forward in next year. really a pleasure to have you both with us. thank you. >> thank you. >> the 21st annual team hoyt 5k road race is may 23rd, and the proceeds do benefit the hoyt foundation. still to come this morning, another marathon sur adviser who missed the bombing by just seconds. and then later, an eyewitness to that massive fertilizer plant explosion in west, texas. he will share his story after these messages. ory with us after these messages. in brookside, remarkable tastes come together.

rich, dark chocolate meets sweetened soft centers flavored with exotic fruit juices. it's chocolate combined in ways you've never experienced before. discover brookside. ♪ [ girl giggles ] [ male announcer ] now's the time to keep your lawn green, get stagreen weed and feed for just $13 at lowe's today.

♪ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the whole grains in quaker chewy bars. today is going to be epic. quaker up. today is going to be epic. wow, i've been claritin when your allergies start, doctors recommend taking one non-drowsy claritin every day during your allergy season for continuous relief. 18 days! 17 days! 22 days of continuous relief. live claritin clear. every day. walgreens can help when you're at the corner of "allergies" and "even more allergies."

come to walgreens for expert advice and the right products, like claritin bonus packs - now $18.99 with balance rewards card. at the corner of happy and healthy. joe berti ran the boston marathon, finishing the race just moments before the first bomb exploded. his wife amy was at the finish line that day. then on wednesday, he was driving near the town of west, texas, the day the fertilizer plant exploded and captured this image on his cell phone. joe and amy berti are with us this morning. good morning. good it see both of you. >> good morning. >> joe, you guys separated during the race. joe, you finished ahead of amy,

correct? >> yeah, i just had gone through the finish line about 30 seconds before the first explosion. >> and did you know where amy was at that point? >> i wasn't completely sure. we were supposed to meet at a restaurant afterwards, but i was concerned that she'd walked to the finish line to watch me run through. >> and, amy, you were actually there as the bomb went off. in fact, very close. there's a photo in which we actually see your proximity to the explosion. tell us what you saw and felt and heard. >> a girlfriend and i, katie, were actually closer to that bomb than we ever imagined we were watching our husbands finish and went to see them at the end and it went off taking us completely by surprise and just the shock, you know, the shock of what on earth is going on. it was terrifying. >> you were unhurt but there were other people. you saw some badly injured people and some people who didn't even realize how badly hurt they were. >> that's correct. the woman beside me, her leg

below the knee was just -- i think it may have even been gone, and then she lost all the fingers on her left hand and just -- i don't believe she realized that that was the case. >> i know you two were trying to meet up. you couldn't find each other. there was a natural worry. eventually you end up at the hotel and see each other. tell us about that reunion. >> it was the worst hour of my life, and, you know, looking for him in the medical tents, not knowing if he had survived that blast it was between joe and i where it went off and so i honestly didn't know if he was okay for a full hour. and it wasn't until i came into that hotel room where that sense of relief and gratefulness that we had both made it. miraculously unscathed. >> i can't imagine. and then, joe, fast forward two days later you're driving. you'd been doing some business in dallas, driving back to austin. you snapped that shot of what was then a fire at the

fertilizer plant. tell us what happened then. >> well, we just decided to get back to our daily lives. so a couple days later i went to a meeting in dallas and was driving back and the left side of the highway there was black smoke coming up. i was staring right at it. and before i knew it, a giant explosion, i heard the sound and a giant mushroom cloud. you see a picture of a nuclear explosion and that's what it looked like. it was just massive. on the left side of the highway. and so i was obviously shocked to see another explosion after having just come back from boston. >> can only imagine. very quickly, the question on everyone's mind. are you the luckiest guy around or most unlucky? >> people ask that. i feel blessed. amy was ten feet away from an explosion where hundreds of people were injured and i had just run through the finish line 30 seconds before, so we feel blessed that we're still here. we're okay. there's a lot of people who weren't in the same situation, so we're happy to be here.

>> joe and amy berti, we wish you plenty of quiet days after this. thanks for coming on. we're back after this. nie thankfully stopped growing, before they earned 1% cash back on all purchases, like his chew toys, and 2% back on groceries for his breakfast, lunch and dinner... even before automatically earning 3% back on gas picking him up for the first time... hi! they opened a bankamericard cash rewards credit card just in time to open their hearts. that's the enormity of rewarding connections. that's bank of america.

[ male announcer ] a car that can actually see like a human, using stereoscopic cameras. ♪ and even stop itself if it has to. ♪ the technology may be hard to imagine. but why you would want it... is not. the 2014 e-class. it doesn't just see the future. it is the future.

♪ waiting on the world to change ♪ a very special show took place just across the street from us at radio city music hall. >> jenna was there for all of it. >> i covered this last year. with all the bad news from this week, it's great to be able to spotlight such a wonderful event. the madison square garden, garden of dreams foundation and gives some very deserving children a chance to perform in a very exciting talent show. ♪ sound checks, makeup, last-minute rehearsals. the finishing touches for the

night's big event here inside radio city music hall. ♪ >> i am very excited. >> reporter: with a smile as bright as stage spotlights, 13-year-old alexis stewart has dreams of one day dancing at julliard. but when she takes the stage to dance on this night, all she'll be thinking about is her father. >> i was a major daddy's girl. >> you were? >> yes. and he was like -- he was pretty much my hero. >> reporter: her father dylan was a new york police officer killed in the line of duty in 2005. >> i feel like he'd be so proud. >> reporter: 16-year-old zachary loves classic rock. he's also a natural at the piano. how natural? well if you can hum it, he can play it. zach was born with a genetic disease called fanconi anemia which affects the chromosomes in the body. despite a bone marrow transplant, severe hearing loss and having been born with just

eight fingers, he can still do this. ♪ you not only taught yourself how to play the piano, but you were born with four fingers on each hand, correct? >> yes. >> how challenging was that? >> it wasn't very much of a challenge in the first place. i mean, i just didn't think it would be that much of a bad thing. ♪ >> reporter: i had a chance to catch up with 7-year-old oscar saltalamacchia. >> this is my second year in the alumni chorus. >> reporter: at age 3 he was diagnosed with cancer. i first met him last year at the same event. and he proudly shared some of his moves. >> kind of like a shuffle step. you got it. >> reporter: today oscar is cancer-free. he's strong, he's vivacious and he picked up a little ballet this year. >> would you be comfortable showing me a ballet move?

>> not usually. >> reporter: awesome. high-five. >> reporter: the kids perform in this talent show have one thing in common. they've all faced devastating problems in their young lives. >> to try to give them something to aspire to, some inspiration and some happiness. >> reporter: by showtime, that was everywhere. ♪ >> reporter: oscar shined front and center in the alumni chorus. ♪ i have a dream >> matt was also on hand to give a special introduction to zach's performance of "sunday morning" by maroon 5. >> when he was about ten years old, zachary sat down at his brother's brand new keyboard and started to play music. and he was unfazed by the fact he only had eight fingers. ♪ >> i just like the song.

i really do. >> why? >> because it transports me. >> reporter: alexis wowed the crowd when she danced to music from the broadway show "the lion king." and yet he was think issing of her dad the whole time. ♪ >> he is my guardian angel telling me, this is what you have to do, and you have to do it now. >> reporter: final bows, standing ovation, the show was over, but the experience for these kids will last a lifetime. >> to be able to stand on a radio city music hall stage and look out into the crowd and see everybody cheering and clapping them on, it's a wonderful experience. >> madison square garden has this garden of dreams every single year. and it's such a beautiful, emotional journey that you get to watch with these kids as they work at it and try and then perform that night. it's really, really remarkable.

>> it's such a beautiful story. gave me chills. a great piece. loved it. >> i'm glad. >> good job. thanks. still come, she's one of the cutest cats on the internet. and lil bub is here with us in the studio. you'll meet her after these messages. for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college, and revisit your investments as retirement gets closer. wherever you are today, fidelity's guidance can help you fine-tune your personal economy. start today with a free one-on-one review of your retirement plan. backflips and cartwheels.mile? love, warmth. here, try this. mmmm, ok! ching! i like the fact that there's lots of different tastes going on. mmmm! breakfast i'm very impressed. this is a great cereal! honey bunches of oats. i hear you crunching. smoke? nah, i'm good.

[ male announcer ] celebrate every win with nicoderm cq. nicoderm cq is the unique patch that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. double your chances of quitting with nicoderm cq. that helps prevent tdare to leave your lipstickng. at home. new revlon colorstay ultimate suede™ lipstick gives you all-day color and instant moisture with shea butter and aloe. for food-proof wear and velvety soft lips.

lil bub has quite the online following. over 100,000 facebook likes and millions of views on youtube. this little kitty is a star of her own new documentary which just premiered at the tribeca film festival. >> and she's here this morning with her dad, mike and filmmakers julia and andy. good morning. she's very mellow. >> oh, yeah. she's great. >> she came into your life at a pretty special time. how did you guys meet? >> my friend's mom found her in her backyard in a shed, actually, as a ferrill kitten and needed to find her a home. when my friend sent me pictures, i fell in love instantly and we've been best pals since. >> julia, you were pretty convinced the rest of the world would fall in love as well. >> absolutely. she's the star of the film and we loved her immediately and now everybody does as well. >> how old is she? she looks really small. >> she's almost 2 years old. >> she's going to stay that size, right? >> yeah, there's like a term, permakitten where she stays like a kitten forever. >> that's -- >> tell me about this film.

what are you capturing in this film? >> we wanted to explore internet cat culture, but we wanted to explore the nature of the relationship between mike and the cat as well. make it very touching, sentimental kind of movie about the internet which had never really been done before. >> you know how to suck people in with a cute face. i hear people are smiling and laughing during the whole thing. >> they laugh at how ridiculous it is. also they tear up toward the end which worked. >> mike, julia and andy, thanks so much. >> and lil bub, thank you. >> thanks for having us. we want to check in with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> good morning. we've got a special edition on "meet the press." the latest on the boston investigation from the governor of massachusetts, deval patrick and pete williams and our roundtable all coming up on "meet the press." >> david, thanks very much. that's going to do it for us on a sunday morning. thanks, everybody, for watching. i'll see you back here tonight for ""nbc nightly news.""

have a great day, everybody. for ""nbc nightly news."" have a great day, everybody. so long. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

in the bay, the latest on the boston marathon bombings, and how the newest release of the suspect helped to bring to a close the massive manhunt. and the search for answers in the attacks sparks a heated debate about the suspect and his rights. >> psychological, some kind of wayward nut like columbine or some of the school shooters have appare apparently been. >> a bay area terrorism expert speaks with us about the

questions that investigators are most likely to pose to suspect. record heat on the way. meteorologist anthony slaugter with the full forecast including when 90 degree weather could hit your neighborhood. "today in the bay" starts right now. we begin this sunday morning with a live picture of the city of san francisco with the transamerica building. we know that the temperatures are warming up as the week has progressed. i'm keith brock and we will check in with meteorologist anthony slaughter, and perhaps we have to change the mentality of getting tone beach mode. >> yes, the temperatures are close to 90 degrees in some locations. the inland valleys are the warmest. at the coast, the temperatures in the mid-70s with the exception of santa cruz which is the warm spot of 80. so maybe you are making plans to head down there and get a head start there, and it is 47 there

right now, and in livermore, 49. and it is because we have a big high pressure sending us the offshore winds. they have shift around this thing, and yesterday we had onshore breeze in place like san francisco and half moon bay, but today the winds shift, and that means that the coast will warm even as i mentioned earlier back into the 70s and so it is going to be hard to escape the heat. 8 88 in gilroy and 85 in san jose and 88 in livermore and by the coa coast, 78, so keep the spf handy and drink plep ti of water, and the good news is that we live by the ocean, so we will see natural cooling through the week, but it is going to be hotter tomorrow. we will have more on that coming up. >> thank you, anthony. now to the continuing coverage of the bombings in boston. this morning the suspect 19-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev, and authorities say he cannot